Gibson Advanced Jumbo - Applications

[justonwo]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Simpl man wrote:



Funny you should mention that: what I discovered when I first got mine was that when the strings were fresh the low E string had as much sustain as the rest of the strings, yet would lose its sustain after about two weeks. The rest of the strings still sounded fine (I keep John Pearse phosphor bronze mediums on the guitar,) but that low E died in about half the time. When that happened it would produce the typical short sustain “thumpy” bass we associate with Gibson acoustic guitars.

Some folks just love that sound, but I would rather have more sustain that I can then mute with palm-muting when I want it thumpy. So what I did was order a dozen .056 phosphor bronze single strings from Breezy Ridge and changed the lowest string about two weeks after the entire new set had been put on. That was when the thumpy effect became noticeable.

I did that for about a year and a half.

Then one day a year or two later I came across an older thread on this forum that had been revived, and reread a post I’d written about this when I was still replacing the low E strings after about two weeks. I realized that the guitar had broken in to the point where the low E string kept sustaining as long as all the other strings, and it had been so subtle and gradual a change that I hadn’t even noticed.

It wasn’t as though I’d been following a strict time table, I just changed the low E when I noticed that it had lost its sustain. But the guitar changed (hooray!) and no longer needed the sustain boost that a fresh low E string had brought it.

Anyway, I’m glad it did.


Wade Hampton Miller

It sounds like your guitar may have developed an adaptation strategy for its environment.

[Wade Hampton]

Hummingbirds are nice for what they are, but in my experience they’re not nearly as versatile as the Advanced Jumbo. So an AJ is what I would recommend.


whm

[llew]

Unfortunately, no one can make that decision but you? But if "I" already had a great SJ/J-45 I'd go with the AJ. But then again...I'm not as big a fan of Gibson's square shoulder dreads as their slope shoulder or "jumbo" style guitars. I have a friend who has a very good Hummingbird and I like it but I like my AJ WAY better? Just personal preference I suppose? Best of luck...no wrong decision to be made IMHO!

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by justonwo

It sounds like your guitar may have developed an adaptation strategy for its environment.

It’s a crafty little character, far more cunning than your average Gibson acoustic guitar tends to be. I have to store it in another room because all my other guitars are terrified that the AJ will eat them in the middle of the night....


whm

[Nyghthawk]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

It’s a crafty little character, far more cunning than your average Gibson acoustic guitar tends to be. I have to store it in another room because all my other guitars are terrified that the AJ will eat them in the middle of the night....


whm

Now that's funny right there, I don't care who you are!

[Rhythmdoctor]

Originally Posted by hiddenmickey

Wow! These are all awesome replies and greatly appreciated!

I’m going to dial it in a little tighter now. If you were in the market for a second guitar and already had a Southern Jumbo (J-45) and you only play rhythm (no finger style or flat picking runs), would you go with an Advanced Jumbo or a Hummingbird?

I already have a Southern Jumbo TV and I have in my possession an outstanding example of an AJ and a Hummingbird. Please don’t suggest to keep the one that speaks to me, because the AJ is screaming pick me and the Hummingbird is saying I’m not going anywhere - they’re both speaking!!!

I can’t own three guitars, but I would consider selling the Southern Jumbo if I am covering the same territory with the AJ and Hummingbird.

AJ without question for me. Doesn't your Sourthern Jumbo closely resemble a Hummingbird anyways?

[llew]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

It’s a crafty little character, far more cunning than your average Gibson acoustic guitar tends to be. I have to store it in another room because all my other guitars are terrified that the AJ will eat them in the middle of the night....


whm

That is funny! But mine plays well with the others!

[hiddenmickey]

Originally Posted by Rhythmdoctor

AJ without question for me. Doesn't your Sourthern Jumbo closely resemble a Hummingbird anyways?

Not really. The Southern Jumbo has more mids and has more thump.

[Rhythmdoctor]

Originally Posted by hiddenmickey

Not really. The Southern Jumbo has more mids and has more thump.

Well, the AJ most certainly has thump. That's what I love about it. I play with a heavy rhythm hand. Are you looking for a different tone than your SJ? I haven't played a SJ in awhile or recent enough to remember its tone. It could be that it's too close to an AJ so I've dismissed it? I guess you would know since you've played the AJ and own the SJ. Is the AJ an SJ on steroids to you? If so, maybe buy the AJ and trade/sell the SJ for the Hummingbird.

[Wade Hampton]

After I mentioned that all my other guitars are terrified that my AJ will eat them, llew wrote:

Originally Posted by llew

That is funny! But mine plays well with the others!

Watch out - it's just trying to lull you into a false sense of security. Just when it's gotten you thinking: "MY Gibson Advanced Jumbo is civilized and well-mannered, not carnivorous like Wade's" it'll sneak out of its case in the middle of the night and attack the smallest of your other instruments. All the rest of them will be petrified in their cases, thinking "If I just avoid eye contact, maybe it'll leave me alone," and the next time you check your music room all you'll find of the poor little fellow will be a tangle of corroded strings and maybe the hinges and latches left over from its case.

It'll be simple attrition after that point....one by one, there'll be a muffled scream in the night, then the sound of crunching and gnashing of tuning gears as the AJ digests yet another victim.

It's the sawdust belches from the AJ the next day that I, personally, find the most distressing. One moment you're playing a happy little song, the next moment the AJ burps and you catch a whiff of one of your other guitars after it's been processed through the AJ's digestive tract.

Let's not even TALK about the flatulence that comes out through the AJ's endpin jack....

No, it's sad, and the only responsible way to deal with it is to treat the Gibson Advanced Jumbo as the guitar equivalent of Hannibal Lecter, with padlocks, a straitjacket and a muzzle.

The Gibson Advanced Jumbo's Inner Self

Sleep tight tonight!


Wade Hampton Miller

[hiddenmickey]

Originally Posted by Rhythmdoctor

Well, the AJ most certainly has thump. That's what I love about it. I play with a heavy rhythm hand. Are you looking for a different tone than your SJ? I haven't played a SJ in awhile or recent enough to remember its tone. It could be that it's too close to an AJ so I've dismissed it? I guess you would know since you've played the AJ and own the SJ. Is the AJ an SJ on steroids to you? If so, maybe buy the AJ and trade/sell the SJ for the Hummingbird.

The AJ has a different thing going for it. It sounds like a Gibson, but doesn’t really sound like the Southern Jumbo. The Southern Jumbo’s tone sits somewhere between the Hummingbird and Advanced Jumbo.

[Rhythmdoctor]

Originally Posted by hiddenmickey

The AJ has a different thing going for it. It sounds like a Gibson, but doesn’t really sound like the Southern Jumbo. The Southern Jumbo’s tone sits somewhere between the Hummingbird and Advanced Jumbo.

You should definitely get the AJ. To me, there is no better guitar tone. I've had mine for 15 years and I just LOVE it.

[Blind Dog]

Nobody more surprised than me, I really enjoy the AJ. I was confident it would be loud, but not expecting it to be expressive, and articulate at all volumes. It makes me want to dig deeper, and put a little more attention, and effort into my tone. The build quality is first rate -- and I'm a real hard marker.

+1 a very versatile instrument. And it will devour pretty much anything.

[gmr]

I just came across this video of Carl Miner and an Advanced Jumbo 12 fret (I think that is what he is playing here). Oh my. Definitely a fair bit of sound processing going on in this video, but that AJ seems amazing..... but then again, it is being played by Carl Miner. C’mon Gibson! Give us a Studio version AJ 12 fret! 😊😂